Collapsible carton

ABSTRACT

A collapsible carton and the single blank from which same is prepared are provided, said carton and blank comprising foldably connected outer wall panels and further characterized by an inner and outer bottom panel, each of which is foldably connected to an opposed outer wall panel, and a pair of opposed inner wall panels which are foldably connected to said outer bottom panel. The outer bottom panel, to which the internal side panels are attached, is maintained in a supportive position by the restraining force exerted against the vertical edges of the inner wall panels by the outer side wall panels in the assembled position. The inner bottom panel rests atop the first bottom panel and is supported thereby. The carton may be further provided with ventilation and handle apertures, cover panels, and a variety of other modifications.

[451 June 20, 1972 United States Patent Galanes [54] COLLAPSIBLE CARTON Primary Examiner-Donald F. Norton Attorney-Lawrence W. Flynn [72] Inventor: Hector J. Galanes, Rio Piedras, P.R.

International Paper Company, New York,

[ ABSTRACT A collapsible carton and the single blank from which same is [73] Assignee:

[22] Filed:

prepared are provided, said carton and blank comprising t'oldably connected outer wall panels and further characterized by an inner and outer bottom panel, each of which is foldably connected to an opposed outer wall panel, and a pair [52] US. Cl. R, 229/41 B of opposed inner wall panels which are foldably connected to ....B65d 5/02 .229/37 R, 39 R, 38

said outer bottom panel. The outer bottom panel, to which the [58] Fleld of Search internal side panels are attached is maintained in a supportive b th estr 'nin force exerted a ainst h venica] References Cited P y e 1' ar g g edges of the inner wall panels by the outer side wall panels in UNITED STATES PATENTS the assembled position. The inner bottom panel rests atop the first bottom panel and is supported thereby. The carton may 1/1968 4/ 1947 3,366,496 B0mar...........................m229/37RX b f rth r r vided with ventilation and handle apertures, 2,418,963 Anderson......... R over ane| andaya iety ofohermodificaflons, 3,195,798 7/1965 Wilson R 9 Clalns, 7 Drawing Figures PATH-3750mm I372 SHEET 1 [IF 4 COLLAPSIBLE CARTON This invention relates to a collapsible and reusable canon suitable for a variety of purposes and, in particular, as a carton for the packaging of fruit and produce such as, for example, pineapples.

It is a general object of this invention to provide a carton which can be readily and conveniently assembled from a single blank to provide a carton of enhanced durability and strength.

It is a more specific object of this invention to provide a carton having a reinforced wall panel construction designed to increase the strength of the carton so as to permit vertical stacking of the loaded carton without the threat of the lower members of the pile weakening or collapsing.

it is another object of this invention to provide a carton having a reinforced wall panel construction in the vicinity of the handling apertures of said carton so as to prevent tearing and rupture of the carton when the carton is manually lifted with a load and moved from place to place.

lt is a still further object of this invention to provide a carton having a dual bottom panel construction which is designed for increased strength in order to prevent failure of the bottom of the carton when subjected to a heavy load either when stacked in piles or when moved from place to place manually.

These and other objects of this invention will be apparent to one skilled in the art from a reading of this entire specification.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with this invention, there is provided a collapsible and reusable single unit carton and the single unit blank from which said carton is prepared, said carton and blank comprising a unit of outer wall panels which comprises a plurality of foldably connected outer wall panels, said unit of outer wall panels having foldably attached thereto at one end a sealing flap which is adapted to secure together said end with the opposed end of said outer wall panel unit in the assembled carton, said carton being further characterized by an inner and outer bottom panel, each of which is foldably attached to an opposed outer wall panel, and a pair of opposed inner wall panels which are foldably connected to said outer bottom panel. The outer bottom panel, to which the inner side panels are attached, is maintained in a supportive position under load by the restraining force which is exerted by the adjacent outer wall panel against the vertical edges of said inner side wall panels in the assembled position. This restraining force effectively prevents vertical downward movement of the outer bottom panel under load. The outer bottom panel rests atop this first bottom panel and is supported thereby. In the assembled position of the carton, the opposed inner wall panels are in face-to-face contact with their adjacent external wall panels to provide extra side wall strength. The carton of this invention may optionally be provided with one or more cover panels or flaps which are foldably connected to the outer wall panels. The canon may similarly be provided with ventilation and handling apertures in both the inner and outer wall panels, the apertures of the inner and outer wall panels being aligned so as to provide communication between the exterior and interior of the carton.

The carton of this invention is more fully exemplified by the detailed description which follows and the drawings provided to accompany said description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a single unit blank from which a preferred embodiment of the carton of this invention can be prepared.

FIGS. 2 through 7 show sequentially a procedure by which the blank of FIG. 1 may be conveniently assembled into the carton of this invention, with FIG. 7 depicting the completely assembled carton.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. 1, it is seen that the blank 9 presented therein comprises a single unit.. Blank 9 comprises a unit of wall panels which comprises a series of four wall panels 10, 11, 12 and 13 which are foldably interconnected by means of hinges 14, 15 and 16, respectively. Since wall panels 11 and 13 are smaller in width than panels 10 and 12, it is apparent that the assembled box will possess a rectangular configuration. However, the relative widths of the wall panels 10, 11, 12 and 13 are in no way significant and can be varied to suit the purpose for which the carton is to be employed. Preferably opposed wall panels will possess substantially the same width. Wall panel 13, the end panel of the wall panel unit, is provided with a sealing flap 17 which is foldably connected to panel 13 by means of hinge 18. The function of flap 17 is to secure panel 13 to a surface of wall panel 10, which is the opposed end panel of the wall panel unit, in the assembled carton. It can be seen that panels 10 and 12 will be opposed wall panels in the assembled carton, as will be panels 11 and 13.

An external bottom panel 19 is foldably connected to wall panel 12 by means of hinge 20. An inner bottom panel 21 is foldably connected to wall panel 10 by means of binge 22. A pair of inner wall panels 23 and 24 are foldably connected to opposed sides of outer bottom panel 19 by means of hinges 25 and 26, respectively.

Outer wall panels 10, 11, 12 and 13 are provided with one or more ventilation apertures 27, said apertures preferably comprising a thin vertical slot in the outer wall panels. Inner wall panels 23 and 24 are likewise provided with ventilation apertures 28 of a similar configuration to apertures 27, said apertures 28 being aligned with ventilation apertures 27 of panels 11 and 13 in the assembled carton to provide communication between the exterior and interior of the assembled carton. It will be noted that the slot width of apertures 28 exceeds that of apertures 27. This variation in slot width is provided to insure communication between the interior and exterior of the carton in the event that a perfect alignment of apertures 27 and 28 is not obtained. The added width of slot 28 provides sufficient overlap to compensate for such aperture alignment difficulties.

Outer wall panels 11 and 13 are also provided with handle apertures 29 of a horizontal slot configuration. lnner wall panels 23 and 24 are likewise provided with handle apertures 29a of substantially the same configuration as apertures 29. In the assembled carton, handle apertures 29 and 29a will be in substantial alignment and are of sufficient size to permit insertion of a worker's hand or other carton grasping means through the aligned apertures. Apertures 29 preferably contain a flap 30 foldably connected to outer wall panels 11 and 13 by means of binge 31. The function of flap 30 is to fold inwardly along hinge 31 when the carton is picked up manually so as to present a smooth surface to the hand instead of the abrasive surface which would otherwise be presented as in the case, for example, if wall panels 11 and 13 were fabricated from corrugated cardboard.

The carton is further provided with cover flaps 32, 33, 34 and 35 which are foldably connected to wall panels 10, 11, 12 and 13, respectively, by means of hinges 36, 37, 38 and 39, respectively. Opposed cover flaps 32 and 34 are additionally provided with tabs 40 and 41, respectively, which are foldably connected to flaps 32 and 34 by means of hinges 42 and 43, respectively. The function of tabs 40 and 41 is to securely lock cover flaps 32 and 35 in place in the assembled canon by insertion of internally folded tabs 40 and 41 into slots 44 and 45 which are provided in adjoining opposed cover flaps 33 and 35, respectively. Tabs 40 and 43 are secured in slots 44 and 45 by means of the notches 46 and 47, which are provided in tabs 40 and 41, respectively. Cut-outs 48 and 49 in inner wall panels 23 and 24, respectively, are provided to accommodate the insertion of tabs 40 and 41 into slots 44 and 45, respectively, in the assembled carton, as best seen in H6. 6. Cut-out 50 in inner bottom panel 21 is provided as a finger insert for facilitating disassembly or collapse of the carton for reuse.

At this point, it becomes convenient to describe a method for assembling the above described single unit blank 9 into a usable carton. Referring to FIG. 2, the assembly of the carton is conveniently initiated by folding inner bottom panel 21 inwardly along hinge 22 and on to the inner surface of external wall panel 10. Inner wall panels 23 and 24 are thereupon folded inwardly along hinges 25 and 26, respectively, onto the inner surface of external bottom panel 19.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the next assembly step is to fold wall panel 12 upward along hinge 20 into a substantially vertical position. It can be appreciated that as panel 12 is folded upward, the remaining wall panels 10, 11 and 13, as well as cover flaps 32, 33, 34 and 35, which are integrally attached to the wall panels, are similarly raised into a substantially vertical position as clearly shown in FIG. 3. At this point, outer wall panels 1 1 and 13 are folded inwardly in the direction of outer bottom panel 19 along hinges 16 and 15, respectively, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 3, whereupon wall panel is thereupon folded inwardly toward inner bottom panel 19 along hinge 14 as again indicated by the arrow in FIG. 3. Sealing flap 17 is folded inwardly towards the interior surface of wall panel 13 along hinge 18 and inserted between wall panel 10 and inner bottom panel 21 and thereby brought into contact with an inner edge surface of panel 10 to which it is secured by conventional means such as, for example, stapling, glueing, taping, or other suitable adhesive means to form the rectangularly shaped assembled carton shown in FIG. 4. In progressing from FIG. 3 to FIG. 4, it should be noted that the carton prepared in FIG. 3 is rotated approximately 180 for purposes of clarity so that in FIG. 4, outer wall 12 appears as the front wall of the carton instead of the back wall as in FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 4, it is seen that inner wall panels 11 and 13 are disposed at an angle above outer bottom panel 19 whereas inner bottom panel 21 is disposed in a substantially vertical position against wall panel 10. Inner wall panels 23 and 24 are next extended outwardly in the direction of adjacent outer wall panels 11 and 13, respectively, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 4 until inner wall panels 23 and 24 are brought into substantially face-to-face contact with adjacent outer wall panels 11 and 13, as best shown in FIG. 5.

Inner bottom panel 21 is thereupon released from its vertical position as shown by the arrows in FIG. 4 and allowed to assume a horizontal position in substantially face-to-face contactwith outer bottom panel 19. The release of inner bottom panel 21 from the vertical to the horizontal position is best shown in FIG. 5 where the arrow shows the direction of movement of bottom panel 19.

Now referring to FIG. 6, the assembled carton is securely covered by first folding cover flaps 33 and 35 inwardly towards the carton interior along hinges 37 and 39, respectively. Tabs 40 and 41 are then folded inwardly towards the carton interior along hinges 42 and 43, respectively. Cover flaps 32 and 34 are thereupon folded inwardly in the direction of the carton interior along hinges 36 and 38, respectively, whereupon tabs 40 and 41 of flaps 32 and 34 are inserted in their cooperating slots 44 and 45 of flaps 33 and 35, respectively, whereupon said tabs 40 and 41 are retained in said slots 44 and 45 in a secure manner by means of notches 46 and 47 of tabs 40 and 41, respectively. It is seen in FIG. 6 that notches 46 and 47 fit into cut-outs 48 and 49 of inner wall panels 23 and 24, respectively. Moreover, it is seen in the assembled carton that the ventilation apertures 27 of outer wall panels 11 and 13 are in substantial alignment with ventilation apertures 28 of inner wall panels 23 and 24 so as to provide communication between the exterior and interior of the package. Referring to FIG. 7, it is seen that even when all of the carton cover flaps are closed, a rather large aperture 51 of rectangular configuration is defined by the unrestrained edges 51a of cover flaps 32 through 35 providing communication between the interior and exterior of the carton. Aperture 51 provides ventilation for the carton interior and cooperates with the side wall ventilation apertures 27 and 28 to provide cross-circulation of air in the cartons interior. 1

Handle apertures 29 of outer wall panels 11 and 13 are similarly aligned with handle apertures 29a of inner wall panels 23 and 24 so as to permit insertion of a workers hand from the exterior into the interior of the package to permit grasping of both the inner and outer adjacent wall panels in lifting the loaded carton thereby assuring added carton strength in the vicinity of the handle apertures to minimize rupture or tearing of the canon. Additionally, when the carton is manually lifted, insertion of the hand into handle apertures 29 causes flap 30 to fold towards the interior of the carton along hinge 31 and across the rough surfaces of apertures 28 and 29 to provide a smooth grip. Absent flaps 30, the hand would be in direct contact with the rough cut edges of apertures 29 and 29a in the inner and outer walls causing irritation to the hand if a heavy load is to be lifted.

It is seen that if a load is placed within the assembled carton of this invention, outer bottom panel 19 is maintained in a supportive position by the restricting force exerted by nonyielding outer wall panel 10 against the edges 52 and 53 of panels 23 and 24 which are adjacent outer wall panel 10. Thisforce prevents any substantial downward movement of inner bottom panel 19 when a load is placed thereon. When the loaded carton is manually lifted, additional support is provided inner bottom panel 19 by the manual grasping of inner wall panels 23 and 24 through handle apertures 29 which effectively prevents vertical downward movement of inner bottom panel 19 unless there is a rupture of inner wall panels 23 and 24.

Inner bottom panel 21 is vertically disposed atop outer bottom panel 19 and is supported thereby. It is noted that the unrestrained end 54 of inner bottom panel 21, which represents the weakest portion of panel 21, rests substantially directly atop hinge 20 of inner bottom panel 21 which represents the strongest portion of panel 21 thereby providing for maximization of load strength in the duaI-layered carton bottom.

FIG. 7 is a view of the assembled carton rotated from the position shown in FIG. 6 and more clearly illustrates the joinder of flap 18 to the internal surface of outer wall panel 10 by heavy duty staples 55.

The assembled carton shown in FIG. 7 may be readily disassembled by following a reverse sequence to that shown in FIGS. 2 through 7 in a manner that is apparent to those skilled in the art. In disassembling the carton for reuse, sealing flap 17 is not ordinarily disconnected from wall panel 10. Instead, the carton is completely disassembled except that sealing flap 17 is left attached to side wall 10 whereupon the disassembled carton is then collapsed either along diagonally opposed hinges 14 and 16 or 15 and 18 into a substantially flat position until needed for reuse whereupon it can be readily and quickly reassembled as heretofore described. Cut-out 50 in inner bottom panel 21 is provided to facilitate grasping panel 21 in order to raise it into the vertical position against outer wall panel 10 in the disassembly operation. I

The carton of this invention can be fabricated from any one of a variety of materials known to those skilled in the art. A preferred packaging material is corrugated cardboard. It should be noted that when the packaging material is corrugated cardboard, the grain of the corrugation in outer wall panels 11 and 13 runs vertically while the grain in the adjacent inner wall panels 23 and 24 runs horizontally thereby imparting an even further measure of strength to the walls of the carton.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the disclosure provided hereinabove is illustrative only and that modifiv 2. an inner bottom panel and an outer bottom panel each of which is foldably connected to opposed outer wall panels, said inner bottom panel disposed above said outer bottom panel;

3. two inner wall panels foldably connected to opposed ends of said outer bottom panel, the surfaces of said inner wall panels being in juxtaposition to the surfaces of two opposed outer wall panels, said inner wall panels comprising the'only inner wall panels so that only two walls of said carton are provided with a double panel structure, while the remaining walls are provided with a single panel struc ture, said inner wall panels further characterized in that the only portion of said carton to which each is foldably attached is the outer bottom panel; and

at least one cover flap foldably connected to one of said outer wall panels.

2. The carton of claim 1 wherein each of said inner and outer wall panels contains at least a single ventilation aperture, the apertures of said outer and inner wall panels being in substantial alignment to permit communication between the interior and exterior of said carton.

3. The carton of claim 2 wherein said inner wall panels and the two outer wall panels in juxtaposition to said inner wall panels contain a handle aperture, the aperture of the inner and outer wall panels being in substantial alignment to permit grasping of the inner and outer wall panels by insertion of grasping means into said aligned apertures.

4. The carton of claim 1 wherein said carton contains four cover flaps, each flap foldably connected to an outer wall panel.

5. The carton of claim 4 wherein the opposed cover flaps are spaced apart from each other in their closed position to define an aperture on the top of said carton which provides communication between the interior and exterior of said carton.

6. The carton of claim 1 in a collapsed state, said carton being collapsed into a substantially flat position along diagonally opposed fold lines of said outer wall panels.

7. A collapsible, single unit carton comprising:

1. a wall structure comprising four foldably inter-connected outer wall panels;

2. an inner bottom panel and an outer bottom panel, each of which is foldably connected to opposed outer wall panels, said inner bottom panel being disposed above said outer bottom panel;

3. two inner wall panels foldably connected to opposed ends of said outer bottom panel, the surfaces of said inner wall panels being in juxtaposition to the surfaces of two opposed outer wall panels; and

. four cover flaps, each of which is foldably connected to one of said outer wall panels wherein two opposed cover flaps further include a notched tab at opposed ends thereof, said tab being foldably attached thereto, and wherein each of the two opposed cover flaps which do not contain said tabs attached thereto contain a slot into which said tabs are insertable and which maintain said tabs in a locked position by the interaction of the tab notch with said slot.

8. The carton of claim 7 in a collapsed state, said carton being collapsed into a substantially flat position along diagonally opposed fold lines of said outer wall panels.

9. A single unit blank comprising:

l four foldably interconnected outer wall panels;

2. an inner bottom panel and an outer bottom panel, each of which is foldably connected to opposed outer wall panels;

3. two inner wall panels foldably connected to opposed ends of said outer bottom panel;

4. four cover flaps each of which is foldably connected to one of said outer wall panels wherein two opposed cover flaps further include a notched tab at opposed ends thereof, said tab being foldably attached thereto, and wherein the two opposed cover flaps which do not contain said tabs attached thereto contain a slot into which, In the carton assembled from the blank, said tabs are msertable and maintained in a locked position by the in teraction of said tab notch with said slot.

t i i 

1. A collapsible, single unit carton comprising:
 1. a unit of outer wall panels, said unit comprising a plurality of outer wall panels foldably interconnected, an end panel of said unit being connected to the opposite end panel of said unit;
 2. an inner bottom panel and an outer bottom panel each of which is foldably connected to opposed outer wall panels, said inner bottom panel disposed above said outer bottom panel;
 3. two inner wall panels foldably connected to opposed ends of said outer bottom panel, the surfaces of said inner wall panels being in juxtaposition to the surfaces of two opposed outer wall panels, said inner wall panels comprising the only inner wall panels so that only two walls of said carton are provided with a double panel structure, while the remaining walls are provided with a single panel structure, said inner wall panels further characterized in that the only portion of said carton to which each is foldably attached is the outer bottom panel; and
 4. at least one cover flap foldably connected to one of said outer wall panels.
 2. an inner bottom panel and an outer bottom panel, each of which is foldably connected to opposed outer wall panels;
 2. an inner bottom panel and an outer bottom panel, each of which is foldably connected to opposed outer wall panels, said inner bottom panel being disposed above said outer bottom panel;
 2. The carton of claim 1 wherein each of said inner and outer wall panels contains at least a single ventilation aperture, the apertures of said outer and inner wall panels being in substantial alignment to permit communication between the interior and exterior of said carton.
 2. an inner bottom panel and an outer bottom panel each of which is foldably connected to opposed outer wall panels, said inner bottom panel disposed above said outer bottom panel;
 3. The carton of claim 2 wherein said inner wall panels and the two outer wall panels in juxtaposition to said inner wall panels contain a handle aperture, the aperture of the inner and outer wall panels being in substantial alignment to permit grasping of the inner and outer wall panels by insertion of grasping means into said aligned apertures.
 3. two inner wall panels foldably connected to opposed ends of said outer bottom panel, the surfaces of said inner wall panels being in juxtaposition to the surfaces of two opposed outer wall panels, said inner wall panels comprising the only inner wall panels so that only two walls of said carton are provided with a double panel structure, while the remaining walls are provided with a single panel structure, said inner wall panels further characterized in that the only portion of said carton to which each is foldably attached is the outer bottom panel; and
 3. two inner wall panels foldably connected to opposed ends of said outer bottom panel, the surfaces of said inner wall panels being in juxtaposition to the surfaces of two opposed outer wall panels; and
 3. two inner wall panels foldably connected to opposed ends of said outer bottom panel;
 4. The carton of claim 1 wherein said carton contains four cover flaps, each flap foldably connected to an outer wall panel.
 4. four cover flaps, each of which is foldably connected to one of said outer wall panels wherein two opposed cover flaps further include a notched tab at opposed ends thereof, said tab being foldably attached thereto, and wherein each of the two opposed cover flaps which do not contain said tabs attached thereto contain a slot into which said tabs are insertable and which maintain said tabs in a locked position by the interaction of the tab notch with said slot.
 4. four cover flaps each of which is foldably connected to one of said outer wall panels wherein two opposed cover flaps further include a notched tab at opposed ends thereof, said tab being foldably attached thereto, and wherein the two opposed cover flaps which do not contain said tabs attached thereto contain a slot into which, in the carton assembled from the blank, said tabs are insertable and maintained in a locked position by the interaction of said tab notch with said slot.
 4. at least one cover flap foldably connected to one of said outer wall panels.
 5. The carton of claim 4 wherein the opposed cover flaps are spaced apart from each other in their closed position to define an aperture on the top of said carton which provides communication between the interior and exterior of said carton.
 6. The carton of claim 1 in a collapsed state, said carton being collapsed into a substantially flat position along diagonally opposed fold lines of said outer wall panels.
 7. A collapsible, single unit carton comprising:
 8. The carton of claim 7 in a collapsed state, said carton being collapsed into a substantially flat position along diagonally opposed fold lines of said outer wall panels.
 9. A single unit blank comprising: 